Conference Is Over -- Now What?

General Conference is over. So what? What I mean is, what are we going to do about it?

Well, we could rush back into the "real" world to see what we've been missing, you know, e-mails, Facebook, etc. etc. Or we could hustle off to see what movies are playing in the "great and spacious building" known as television (See Elder Boyd K. Packer, "Lehi's Dream and You," BYU devotional, Jan. 16, 2007). This is known as the "Let's see, conference was nice, but where was I?" response.

Or, we could join the many who'll be asking,"Which talk did you enjoy the most?" But wait. Is that why the talks were given? To be enjoyed? Not according to Elder Dallin Oaks, who taught:

"Last week I was talking with a member of the Quorum of the Twelve about comments we had received on our April conference talks. My friend said someone told him, 'I surely enjoyed your talk.' We agreed that this is not the kind of comment we like to receive. As my friend said, 'I didn’t give that talk to be enjoyed. What does he think I am, some kind of entertainer?' Another member of our quorum joined the conversation by saying, 'That reminds me of the story of a good minister. When a parishioner said, ‘I surely enjoyed your sermon today,’ the minister replied, ‘In that case, you didn’t understand it’ ” ("The Dedication of a Lifetime," CES Fireside for Young Adults, May 1, 2005).

The question I posed in my opening line contains a key word upon which the success of General Conference hinges. The word is do. What do we plan to do with what the prophets and apostles taught us?

Here's what I recommend: Now that the General Authorities have taught general gospel principles in General Conference, this is the time for another conference -- not a general one, but a specific conference where there are only two attendees: Ourself, and the Holy Ghost. This conference begins with a prayer in which we ask God to reveal through His Spirit the specific behaviors and attitudes we need to change as a result of what His prophets and apostles taught during the past two days. This is followed by some quiet time as we ponder the notes we took and the counsel we received. It is then, during that quiet time, that we wait for the answers that will come -- and they will come -- as feelings.  

And then comes the real test: Will we hearken, or merely hear. Will we make the commitment to do what we felt the Spirit prompt us to do? 

Long after the Conference Center lights are turned off and the doors are locked, I hope you will agree that this is the real purpose of General Conference.